THE PURPOSE OF PROPHESY
The Book of Zechariah #16
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Woodland Church
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
(Zechariah 12:1–3, NLT) “This message concerning the fate of Israel came from the Lord: “This message is from the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and formed the human spirit. I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves.”
THIS CHAPTER LEADS US TO PRAISE AND WORSHIP THE LORD.
1. GOD’S CREATION AND CONSUMATION OF ISRAEL AND THE NATIONS.
2. GOD’S GLOBAL DOMINION.
3. GOD HAS THE POWER AND PASSION TO SAVE.
(Matthew 26:29, NLT) “Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”
(1 Corinthians 11:26, NLT) “For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.”
4. FOR THE CHURCH PROPHECY IS OPTIMISTIC NOT FATALISTIC.
(1 Corinthians 15:28, NLT) “Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.”
(2 Peter 1:19–21, NLT) “We have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.”
(1 John 3:2–3, NLT) “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.”
IDEALIST – TIMELESS PRINCIPLES.
HISTORICIST – DETAILED MAP FROM DAYS OF JESUS UNTIL HIS RETURN.
PRETERIST – READ REVELATION AS THE SEVEN CHURCHES UNDERSTOOD IT.
FUTURIST – SOME EVENTS ARE WAITING TO BE FULFILLED.
ECLECTIC – A MIXTURE OF IDEALIST, PRETERIST AND FUTURIST.
SYMBOLISM – AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE OLD TESTAMENT HELPS
a. GOD PROMISED THE LAND TO ISRAEL WITH CERTAIN TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
(Genesis 13:15, NLT) “I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession.”
(See Deuteronomy 29-30)
b. GOD WILL GATHER HIS PEOPLE WITH PURPOSEFUL POWER.
(Jeremiah 30:10, NLT) I will bring you home again from distant lands, and your children will return from their exile. Israel will return to a life of peace and quiet, and no one will terrorize them.”
(See Ezekiel 37 and Jeremiah 30)
5. PROPHECY LEADS US TO PRAYER AND WITNESS.
(See Numbers 14:19; 1 Samuel 7:3-5; 12:23; Acts 7:59-60; Romans 9:1-4)
“You cannot bring souls to God if you do not go to God yourself.” –Spurgeon
(Hebrews 7:25, NLT) “Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.”
(Romans 8:26, NLT) “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”
a. We are called to godly influence.
b. We are called to pray
c. We are called to make disciples.
d. If America is reached for Christ; America will be saved.